“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.”
— Maya Angelou
A sense of belonging and community is central to self esteem and happiness. I was so delighted with our Open Morning last weekend where having welcomed well over 400 guests to the school, family after family commented on the sense of self and engagement with one another and our visitors that they experienced. One family stopped me and said that their impression was that Oxford High was a place where students could be themselves. They then asked me if that was the case and I, as you would expect, then co-opted two students who were standing by me who looked at the visitor, looked at each other and proceeded to explain in detail why they were different from one another and yet how they shared a sense of belonging with power and articulacy. It is the most wonderful moment as a Head when one’s students provide the most powerful testimony based on their experiences. (Thank you Molly and Edie!)
That same strong sense of community has shone through so much of what we have done over the past few weeks. Our House Music competition this afternoon is a case in point where every student whether in their final year, or their first, is involved in performing. Our assemblies aim to draw on the experiences of all our pupils over the year – we started the month with considering Black History Month through the lens of literature, to Monday’s assembly where Chloe talked of her commitment to the sufferers of alopecia and, supported by her mother who wielded the scissors, cut off her hair to donate to The Princess Trust. Numerous students ran the Oxford Half Marathon for charities with which they were closely aligned, and it was terrific talking to Uma on Monday who told me about wanting to raise money for epilepsy as a result of her Grandmother’s experience. She aimed for £500 and, to her surprise, raised over £2500.
The story I tell of how we try to include everyone is, for me, represented by the recording of every single new pupil’s name at the start of term so that the staff can listen to it and make sure their pronunciation is correct. To me that speaks volumes (no pun intended) of the importance of making sure that everyone is valued – as they are. To build on this programme we have started asking our students to share with us, regularly, their own achievements which we can recognise in school in our Celebration of Achievement at the end of every half term. The variety and the range are extraordinary – riding competitions, saving lives at sea, writing stories, entering competitions just for the sake of it, helping others, volunteering within the community, streaks on language apps and so many many more. I am thrilled that so much of what your daughters do both in and out of school is being captured and valued within because it is about every pupil being able to bring their whole self to school.
And that isn’t just for our students but our local community too. Our annual fireworks event is just after half term on Friday 8th November and we’d love to welcome you to Oxford High with our neighbours and families. Tickets are available here and we would love to welcome you all.
And so wherever you find yourself this half term, I wish you moments of connection and renewal until we return to do it all over again!
Ad Lucem,
Mrs Gardiner Legge